From
the Editor This week was a big week for Australia. I don’t know about you, but I found the events in Sydney on Monday quite confronting. It also made me feel just a bit more blessed for the choice I made a few years ago when removing my family from the rat race and opting for simpler life. I was very moved by the way the community responded. I was also very moved to hear how the hostages that died, did so in the Anzac spirit of saving their ‘mates’. I’m also glad that we, as a country, looked past the potential fallout and found a way to move forward. Campaigns such as IllRideWithYou and the staggering number of flowers left at Martin Place portray us as a culture that can get over our differences; a great thing to show the world. The events did get me thinking though, what is important? In another lifetime (back when I used to frequent the city for business) it’s very likely I would have been in that part of Sydney and I could, just as easily, have been in that shop. What would I do in that situation? I don’t know, but I hope I would be able to do the brave thing and stand up for those around me. I think that Anzac spirit will remain in all of us as long as we keep remembering our fallen with respect and continue to honour those that serve this country. This is our last issue for the year and I have to say, I am thankful we will get a little break. I have worked harder this year than I have ever worked; however, the positive impacts I am seeing in our community offer some reward for our efforts. Working on something that matters is important. When I was questioning what was important, I was happy to come to the conclusion that what we are doing is important. We take what we do very seriously and next year you will see some big changes from us including a bigger paper, more news content, and other sections that will be of interest to our readers. I would like to thank all of you who have supported us; our advertisers, our readers, our contributors and my team. It has been an epic year, we have achieved a lot, but there is much more to come. Merry Christmas & Happy new year to all of you.
Your Say Make My (Last) Day! Exams are finished, books handed in and hardly any school happening. While technically it’s not a holiday, it certainly feels like one. The last day at school is little more than a formality, but it’s as close to anarchy as most kids will come. On this day the teachers are barely in charge, and probably they don’t care. The best last days of school are the ones when you have completed the final grade at that particular school. When the bell rings for the last time, you are free from that building forever. But as happy as all this makes the students, it has the opposite effect on the parents. While the kids are excited about all the free time they’re going to have, their parents are stressing out over all the free time their kids are about to get! When you grow up and become a responsible adult (and parent) holidays just aren’t the same. Longer ones come with much more responsibility, cost, and stress - and the shorter ones may as well not happen. While the temporary respite from waking up early, hurried breakfasts, school lunches, homework and kids transport is welcome, keeping kids occupied during holidays is often a nightmare, especially for working parents. And going away on a holiday, if you can afford it, is fun but invariably doesn’t cover the entire holiday
Thank’s for all your support in 2014! Rich Evans
break. Leave kids to themselves for any length of time, and you will find them endlessly watching television, or playing computer games. But before you stress out any further, it’s worth considering that it’s not where you go or what you do that makes your kids happy during holidays - what kids crave most is simply being together as a family. While their parents are at work students spend most of their days at school and holidays are a necessary mental breather. Family time together is undeniably important in a child’s development and when all is said and done, remember what is was like being a kid, because childhood is over in the blink of an eye. It’s not rocket science - stop worrying about stuff that can wait, or doesn’t matter - the television won’t explode, the computer won’t crash, and Facebook won’t forget you - do things with your kids before they grow too fast for you to catch up. But that doesn’t mean you have to manufacture contrived memories on a daily basis. The things kids remember most about holidays are the easy times spent with family and best friends - and those lifelong family memories are just as important as school. Regards, The Magpie Whisperer
Intimate Dreams at 91 Main Street have a condolence sheet that you can sign for the famillies of victims of Monday’s Sydney Seige. Once signatures have been collected over the next week, council will attach an official letter from the Lithgow Community to be sent. Please visit Intimate Dreams to sign the sheet and pass on your thoughts.
Kind Regards Rich Evans
The Village Voice
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Rich Evans, Editor Email: editor@villagevoice.net.au
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